(“OK, Josh, now act like this Nandor fellow was somehow able to land a punch on you. We’ll use it for the gag reel.”)

The Oklahoma Athletic Commission recently released the payout figures for Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, and wouldn’t you know it, Heavyweight Grand Prix runner-up Josh Barnett was able to walk away with nearly a quarter of the total disclosed $1,153,500 payroll for less than three minutes of work. Also of note, Tarec Saffiedine collected approximately $2.50 for each kick he was able to land on Nate Marquardt, yet still wound up a grand shy of, you guessed it, Frank Stallone Nate Marquardt when all was said and done. Speaking of Marquardt, dude somehow didn’t even get a precautionary suspension despite exiting the arena on crutches with a leg that looked like it had stared at the Ark of the Covenant. We were able to secure an exclusive interview with his doctor earlier today, who smugly stated that “Leg kicks certainly do not end lives” before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing from the room. A strange man indeed.

Anyway, check out the full list of salaries along with our thoughts after the jump. Per usual, these figures are absent of any locker room bonuses, sponsorship bonuses, or invitations to Scott Coker’s BBQ bash this weekend that any of the fighters may have received.

Before we get started, we’d like to commend Josh Barnett for battling through an illness that forced him to delay his fight week plans. The man is truly a fighter’s fighter and should be compensated as such. That said, damn. We’re not saying he’s overpaid, we’d just like to know why at a quarter million to show, Strikeforce would be happy throwing Barnett little more than a scary-looking training dummy for his final fight in the promotion. For that kind of money, you’d think they’d at least try and book a fight that didn’t resemble the beginning of a training montage. Seriously, swap Nandor with Sly Stallone and Barnett with Carl Weathers and that fight was basically the scene where Rocky gets dusted by Apollo Creed in a dead sprint on the beach. You know, before Adrian does her typical “What are you afraid of?! Death?! You should be, because HE’LL KILL YA ROCK!” thing and Rocky finds the inner courage to engage in homosexual water-splashing with Apollo or whatever.

Overpaid: According to Keith Kizer, the average MMA judge makes between $200 and $1,000 on a given night, depending on how big the show is, of course. I submit that the judges responsible for scoring the KJ Noons/Ryan Couture fight should not only be forced to turn over that money to the state, but should be ostracized from the MMA community entirely, possibly after a tar-and-feathering ceremony. When I worked at McDonald’s as a teenager, I only took home around $300 a week. I may not have been the perfect employee, but I could always tell the difference between a Filet-o-Fish and a hamburger. Clearly, two of those judges lacked this necessary discriminatory skill, and their ignorance should be eradicated before it infects the state of MMA judging any worse.

Underpaid: You think Strikeforce would have thrown Dion Starling a little more cash for accepting what was pretty much a death sentence on short notice. Looks like the poor bastard will have to continue cutting his own hair in the dark of his long since condemned apartment for the foreseeable future.

Cagepotato Comments

Showing 1-25 of comments

You'd have to see some of his earlier fights. Cormier is a world class olympic wrestler...of course he would be better than barnett in that aspect, but grapplers...there are few, if any, better than barnett. Sure he is past his prime a bit, but in the day, that dude was no joke.

ArmFarmer- January 15, 2013 at 12:28 pm

He really looked like a wrestling savant whilst Cormier was launching him into space lol. Seriously, I can't stand Barnett. I haven't even been following his career for very long, but the guy just comes off as a real assclown. His cringe inducing post fight interview was the icing on the cake. Can't stand the guy, but I'd love to see the ufc elite put him in his place none the less.

algiersheadkick504- January 15, 2013 at 9:54 am

250,000 too arm triangle cans...that's the life right there

Casa de los pantelones- January 15, 2013 at 6:32 am

You doubt the baby faced war mastering assassin? Don't blame him for his paycheck. That dude was wrecking people back in the day and still does. 32-6 with 27 finishes...19 of them submissions.

That dude is a grappling/wrestling savant. Kind of pulled a Fedor over the last few years and has become irrelevant, taking dumb fights, etc...but make no mistake, even aside from his PED uses...that dude can and does come to scrap.

Pen Fifteen- January 14, 2013 at 7:30 pm

Yeah, fuck Josh Barnett. The dude hasn't beaten a relevant heavyweight since he squeaked by Nog in 2006. Let him go to Bellator and smash Brett Rogers again. It's clear he could give 2 shits about being world champ, so let him go to whatever company is dumb enough to shell out top-tier money for a second-tier talent whose piss practically glows in the dark.

Mir please break Brocks neck- January 14, 2013 at 6:25 pm

The announcer SAID it. I THOUGHT it. But did anyone ELSE SEE Nandor Guelmino G-I-V-E Josh Barnett that arm triangle???? Im NOT sorry. Josh Barnett is boring as hell and his fights suck. He looks fat and I hope Bellator takes him. Keep him away from the UFC. Im not 'pro' UFC.....but I want REAL fighters. Barnett is like a Wes Sims or Brock Lesnar....or friken' Superfly Jimmy Snuka. Keep the circus side-shows away please. While Im here.....FRANK MIR for President!!!!!!! Lastly....the Fertitta's SUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dans's 'the man' though....

Mr_Misanthropy- January 14, 2013 at 6:52 pm

I thought a bunch of the fights looked fishy- even for gross mis-matches.

Mr_Misanthropy- January 14, 2013 at 3:21 pm

The real twenty to one underdog on that card was Nandor's salary.

dipsetkilla316- January 14, 2013 at 3:17 pm

Gay guard lol

Mr_Misanthropy- January 14, 2013 at 3:16 pm

And now we all know why Strikeforce had to burn out oh so soon, like a candle in the wind.

I don't think we will ever see Barnett in the UFC because he seems to be hinting that he needs that much money or more to sign a contract and I think it is ludicrous to think the UFC will pay him that much.

Pen Fifteen- January 14, 2013 at 2:49 pm

These salaries are fucking retarded. $175k to show for Gay Guard? At least Barnett has some history of being a draw in the US. And if he's been on the same salary scale the whole time, Jacare has banked $300k to beat 3 jobber-level opponents. Fuck being cliche, good riddance to Strikeforce.